Balloon catheter tapered shaft having high strength and flexibility and method of making same
AssigneeAbbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc.
InventorsJohn A. Simpson, Jonathan P. Durcan, Bruce M. Wilson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A catheter having an elongated shaft with a tubular member which forms at least a portion of the shaft and which is formed of a biaxially oriented thermoplastic polymeric material, and a method of forming the catheter shaft by radially and longitudinally expanding the tubular member to biaxially orient the polymeric material, and, in one embodiment, tapering the tubular member to form a bending stiffness transition. A catheter of the invention has an improved combination of low bending stiffness, high rupture pressure, and high tensile strength, for improved catheter performance.
Claims19
A balloon catheter, comprising
- a) an elongated shaft having a proximal section and a tubular member attached thereto with an inflation lumen extending there through, wherein said tubular member is formed of a biaxially oriented nonporous thermoplastic polymer having a Shore durometer hardness of less than about 75D and has at least a section with a diameter tapering distally over a length of at least about 30% of the length of the tubular member such that the tapering section has a bending stiffness that decreases distally by about 20% to about 80% therealong;
- and
- b) a balloon sealingly secured to said tubular member, which has an interior in fluid communication with the inflation lumen, and a rupture pressure which is less than the rupture pressure of the shaft tubular member.
A balloon catheter, comprising
- a) an elongated shaft having a proximal outer tubular member that is attached to a distal outer tubular member having an inflation lumen extending therein, an inner tubular member with a guidewire lumen extending therein, wherein said inner tubular member is disposed within at least a portion of said inflation lumen, wherein said proximal outer tubular member has a constant bending stiffness and said distal outer tubular member is formed of a biaxially oriented nonporous thermoplastic polymer having a Shore durometer hardness of less than about 75D, and which has a distal section, and a tapering proximal section with a length of at least about 30% of the length of the distal outer tubular member and with a wall thickness tapering distally such that a bending stiffness of the distal outer tubular member increases proximally by at least about 65% along the tapering proximal section;
- and
- b) a balloon which has a proximal skirt sealingly secured to the distal outer tubular member and a distal skirt secured to the inner tubular member such that an interior of the balloon is in fluid communication with the inflation lumen, and a rupture pressure which is less than the rupture pressure of the distal outer tubular member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.